Project Report-I

on
“Marketing Strategies of Airtel”

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the requirement for the

Award of the Degree of
Bachelor in Business Administration (General)

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Ms. Mohini Ishaan Kukreja
Assistant Professor BBA(G)
Department of Business Administration 11714901721

BATCH 2021-2024

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Maharaja Surajmal Institute

Recognized by UGC u/s 2(f), NAAC Accredited ‘A’ Grade
Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha
University,Delhi
C-4, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058
 Certificate

I, Mr. Ishaan Kukreja , Roll No. 11714901721 certify that the Minor Project Report (Paper
Code: BBA 114) entitled “Marketing Strategies of Airtel” is done by me and it is an
authentic work carried out by me. The matter embodied in this has not been submitted
earlier for the award of any degree or diploma to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signature of the Student

This is to certify that Project Report entitled “Marketing Strategies of Airtel” which is
submitted by Ishaan Kukreja in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of
degree Bachelor in Business Administration to Maharaja Surajmal Institute Affiliated
to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, C-4, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058 is a
record of the candidate own work carried out by him under my supervision. The matter
embodied in this report is original and has not been submitted for the award of any other
degree.

Signature of the Guide

Ms. Mohini
Assistant Professor
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I offer my sincere thanks and humble regards to Maharaja Surajmal Institute,

GGSIP University, New Delhi for imparting us very valuable professional training
in BBA.

I pay my gratitude and sincere regards to Ms. Mohini, my project Guide for giving
me the cream of her knowledge. I am thankful to her as she has been a constant
source of advice, motivation and inspiration. I am also thankful to her for giving
me suggestions and encouragement throughout the project work.

I take the opportunity to express my gratitude and thanks to our computer Lab staff
and library staff for providing me opportunity to utilise their resources for the
completion of the project.

Ishaan Kukreja
BBA (G)
11714901721
 TABLE OF CONTENT

S No Particulars Page No
1 Certificate
2 Acknowledgement
3 Chapter 1: Introduction

●Objectives of Study
●Importance of the Study
●Literature Review
●Research Methodology
●Limitations of the Study
4 Chapter II: Profile of the Organization
5 Chapter III: Conceptual Framework
6 Chapter IV: Analysis and Interpretation of Data
7 Chapter V: Conclusion and Recommendations
Bibliography
CHAPTER I:
Introduction
 1.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective behind this research project is to study about the importance and
development of telecommunication industry in today’s scenario.

To understand the Different Marketing strategies which are used by Bharti

Airtel to Survive in highly competitive Telecommunications market and different
services which are offered by Bharti Airtel.

An overview of the Indian telecommunication market is also given, along with

the growing LTE Market and challenges posed by strong competitors in India, A brief
introduction about Bharti Airtel has also been given, covering all the Products and
services provided by Bharti Airtel.

It also includes Indian market study, Bharti Airtel Corporate Study. Under this
research project following points about Bharti Airtel are being covered:

* Market Situation

* Product Policy and Planning

* Competitive Situation

«Market segmentation

* Positioning

* Pricing Policy

* Promotional Strategy
 1.2 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

The study of marketing strategies of Airtel holds significant importance for several reasons.
Understanding the importance of such a study can provide insights into the company's
competitive advantage, market positioning, and overall business success. Here are some key
points highlighting the significance of studying the marketing strategies of Airtel:

1. Competitive Analysis: By studying Airtel's marketing strategies, one gains valuable insights
into how the company positions itself in the market and competes with other telecommunications
providers. This analysis helps identify Airtel's unique selling propositions, target audience,
pricing strategies, and promotional activities, which can be benchmarked against competitors.
This knowledge allows other businesses to learn from Airtel's successes and failures, enabling
them to make informed decisions about their own marketing strategies.

2. Industry Insights: Analyzing Airtel's marketing strategies provides a broader understanding of

the telecommunications industry. This study can shed light on market trends, customer
preferences, technological advancements, and regulatory factors that impact the industry. It helps
stakeholders gain a comprehensive view of the market dynamics and adjust their strategies
accordingly.
3. Business Growth and Expansion: Airtel's marketing strategies often reflect its growth plans
and expansion efforts. Studying these strategies can reveal the company's approach to entering
new markets, launching new products or services, and expanding its customer base. Such
insights can be valuable for businesses seeking to expand their own operations, as they can learn
from Airtel's experiences and adapt their strategies accordingly.

4. Marketing Best Practices: Airtel, being a prominent player in the telecommunications industry,
likely employs various marketing best practices. By studying Airtel's strategies, marketers can
gain valuable insights into effective marketing techniques, customer segmentation, branding, and
customer engagement. This knowledge can be leveraged to improve their own marketing efforts
and stay competitive in their respective industries.

5. Innovation and Adaptation: Airtel's marketing strategies can reveal how the company
innovates and adapts to changes in the market. By examining how Airtel responds to emerging
technologies, shifts in consumer behavior, or evolving regulatory landscapes, businesses can gain
inspiration for their own adaptation strategies. This study helps foster a culture of innovation and
encourages organizations to stay agile and responsive to market changes.

1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW

Marketing strategy represents a key element of success for organizations. Executing an effective
marketing strategy i just as important as conceptualizing and creating it. Through marketing
strategy implementation firms employ scarce resources through marketing capabilities in order to
attain the set goals and targets. In order to illustrate the value of marketing strategy and the
process of implementation a detailed literature review was performed. A total of (Number of
Studies Depending On the References Count, After Employee Deletion) studies on the topic of
marketing strategy have been examined. The meta-analysis uncovers two distinct but related
features to marketing strategy content: marketing strategy decisions and marketing strategy
decision implementation. The literature also suggests there is a relationship of marketing
strategy, and marketing mix elements on organizational performance, and emphasizes a further
need to perform conceptual and empirical studies. The originality and value of the review lies in
the fact that marketing strategy has been analyzed both in terms of its outcomes and as a process
that does not yield satisfactory results without effective implementation.

Company marketing strategy is an important and crucial constituent for the global market.
Marketing strategies can vary from country to country, brand to brand and organization to
organization. In order to achieve a satisfactory and adequate marketing strategy which has a
positive outcome on global and overall firm success, the marketing department within a company
should bear in mind all the different marketing mix strategies that can influence the
comprehensive result and the cumulative firm success, When launching a product into foreign
markets companies can use a conventional marketing mix or adapt the existing marketing mix, to
satisfy the country they are carrying out their business activities in. the link between
standardization‘adaptation and company performance s complicated and possibly influenced by
other factors (Shilke, Reiman, Thomas, 2009, Solberg. Durrieu, 2008). It should be emphasized
that the influence of standardization/adaptation decisions of international marketing strategy on
company performance & named also as one of the most topical research objects of international
business (Griffith, Cavusgil, Xu, 2008).

The Concept of Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategy is a significant driving force that distinguishes the success of many
organizations not only by well-developed marketing strategies outlining where, when, and how
the firm will compete but also by their ability to execute the marketing strategy decision options
chosen (e.g. Day and Wensky 1988; Varadarajan 2010). The appropriate and effectively
implemented marketing strategies are required to productively guide the deployment of the
limited available resources via the firm's marketing capabilities in pursuit of desired goals and
objectives (Black and Boal 1994; Varadarajan and Clark 1994). The literature reveals two
distinct but related features to marketing strategy content: marketing strategy decisions and
marketing strategy decision implementation. Hence, decision makers responsible for the
marketing strategy must select which available resources the firm should deploy. where to deploy
them appropriately, and set and signal priorities in terms of achieving the various goals and
objectives of the firm (Slater 1995), These marketing strategies toward firm performance nay be
either formal, top-down strategies (Varadarajan and Clark 1994) or emergent or improvisational
strategies (Moorman and Miner 1998). A firm's marketing strategy content therefore involves
explicit or implicit decisions regarding goal setting, target market section, positional advantage
to be pursued, and timing to attain firm performance (e.g, Day 1994; Varadarajan 2010),

MARKETING MIX

Marketing Mix & a strategy which a company uses to formulate a product/service offering for
its customers. Marketing mix strategy is created using the 4Ps of marketing - Product, Place,
Price, Promotion and 7Ps in case of service- Physical Evidence, People, Process, The term is
attributed to Neil Bordon, The term is named because it suggest how a marketer mixes various
elements (Product, Price, Place, Promotion etc.) in order to make a refevant/just right offering to
the customer, The main objective of marketing mix strategy is to make the right product at
correct price at the right place with right promotion. The marketing mix is considered to be one
of the most important aspects of the marketing process. It plays a significant role in creating
value and satisfaction for the customer.

In particular, the marketing mix or 4Ps (product, price, promotion, and place) operates as the
main forces when it comes to meeting the demands of customer and creating a long, profitable
relationship with them In fact, the traditional theoretical framework with regard to the
implementation of marketing- management process activities is based on the concept of the
marketing mix (Festa, Cuomo, Metallo, & Festa, 2016).

This strategy has been one of the popular marketing topics in business. Following are the
various elements in the marketing mix. There are two types of marketing mix-Product Mix (4Ps)
and Service Mix (7Ps).

PRODUCT MIX

When a company is offering products or goods, it comes under the purview of the product
marketing mix, It talks about the product strategies, pricing strategies, place where the products
are distributed and promotional strategies. Elements of a product mix can be explained in detail
as below:

1) Product : It is the main part of the offering, the product itself It & most important aspect of
the mix. Product is something which has some functional value and can be used by the
customer to achieve something. A marketer needs to define his product very carefully
thinking about its value, its USP, features, competition ete, Kotler and Armstrong describe a
product as anything offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use, or consumption that
might satsfy a need or want.™ On the contrary, a service can be defined as any activity or
benefit that one party can offer to another that i essentially intangible and does not result in
ownership of anything” (Kotler & Armstrong, 2012),
2) Price : Pricing the second most important clement in our marketing mix. This is value we
will get in exchange for our product. This is what the customer will pay in return for the
utility of the product. Pricing is mainly determined by the cost of the product and ako how
much the customer would be willing to pay. If we price it too high no one buys, if we price it
100 low, company makes losses. So we have to devise the right pricing strategy to make the
mix perfect. It is affected by the purchasing power of the customer and considered to be the
critical element in the buying decision. Price can be defined briefly as the amount the
 consumer must exchange to receive an offering (Singh, 2012). Various factors affect the
pricing strategy of an organization, including the cost of materials, product differentiation,
competition level, market share, and the customer's perceived value of the product
(Davenport & Harris, 2007). The product's price in the SME sector in Al Buraimi is affected
by many factors such as the total cost, the profit margin, the product lifecycle, regulations,
economic policies, and so on. 3) Place: Also called the Distribution. If we are making a
product as the right price, that is not enough, we need to make it available at the right place
too. The customer mostly would not come to you until and unless our product and price is
unbeatable. The product needs to be where customer & likely to buy. If we are soft drink
manufacturer and the product is not available in grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants ete.
then the first two elements are of no use and the offering fails,
3) Promotion : Also referred to as Communication about the product. This i the 4th element in
marketing mix which means the communication done about the product to the customer.
Advertising on TV, print and digital media would come under promotion. The promotion
concept includes all marketing activities used to inform, persuade, and remind the target
market about a firm and its products or services, in sucha way as to build a favorable image
in the mind of the customer (Sidhanta & Chakrabarty, 2010), In the same context, Kotler and
Armstrong (2012) defined promotion as human activities based on a communication process
that can be directed via personal selling points or indirectly via advertising messages through
the media,

Thus, the 4Ps are valid for every company, whether it is a product or a service company.

SERVICE MIX

In case of a service brand like a restaurant, telecom service, hospitality etc, there are additional
points apart from the 4Ps. The additional Ps ie. physical evidence, people and processes are
collectively known as the service marketing mix. These can be described as below:
5) Physical Evidence : A service intangible but there has to be a reassurance to the customer that
service happened. It can be a receipt of a service or may be an invoice, Physical evidence should
be positive meaning that customer should be assured that service completed as expected,

6) People : These are the employees which help deliver the service e.g delivery boy or a cab
driver. They may become the face of the service hence are very important that is why very
important to chose right people.

7) Process : The steps undertaken for completion/delivery of the service. The process is very
crucial. The process should not only consist of the positive path but should also should consider
the negative paths to address issues in the service delivery. e.g Complain management, reverse
supply chan etc. All these help in understand the marketing mix for a service based business.
 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology is a collective term for the purpose of conducting research. There are
many different methodologies used in various types of research and the term is usually
considered to include research design data gathering and data analysis. Research methodologies
can be qualitative and quantitative.

A research methodology explains the reason behind the research, how it is conducted, how to
gauge advancements in the process carried out and what constitute accomplishment concerned
with the objectives decoded to be undertaken for the study.

Marketing research is the systematic gathering recording and analyzing of data about problem
retaining to the marketing of goods and services.

The essential purpose of marketing research is to provide information, which will facilitate the
identification of an opportunity of a problem situation and to assist the manager in arriving at the
best possible decision when such situations are encountered.

RESEARCH DESIGN
This kind of research design is used for more precise investigation or of developing the working
hypothesis from an operational point of view. In this the researcher is solely interested in
describing the situation or case under their research study. It has inbuilt flexibility, which is
needed because the research problem, broadly defined initially, is transformed into one with
more precise meaning in exploratory studies, which in fact may necessitate changes in research
procedures for gathering relevant data.

The characteristic features of research are as follows:-

➢ Flexible design
➢ Non-probability sampling design

➢ No pre planned design for analysis

➢ Unstructured instruments for collection of data

➢ No fixed decisions about the operational procedures

A. Data collection method: The data collection was done by circulation of the survey/
questionnaire form over the social media , to some personalized contacts.

B. Questions in survey: The questions in survey are 15 questions all related to understanding the
brand awareness of Airtel

C. Target Population: The target population for this survey were of the age bracket from 17 to
30 years.

D. Sampling Frame: The sampling frame in this research were people residing in INDIA.

E. Sample units :The number of sample units used in this study is

 1.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or
influenced the interpretation of the findings from your research. Study limitations are the
constraints placed on the ability to generalize from the results, to further describe applications to
practice, and/or related to the utility of findings that are the result of the ways in which you
initially chose to design the study or the method used to establish internal and external validity or
the result of unanticipated challenges that emerged during the study.

The limitations in this project were :

● Time and money are the greatest limitation in carrying out this survey.

● The sample size of the survey is not that large.

● The analysis done is applicable to certain age groups.

 CHAPTER II:
Profile Of The Organisation
 Bharti Airtel registered office in Gurgaon
Type Public
Traded as • BSE: 532454
• NSE: BHARTIARTL
• BSE SENSEX Constituent
• NSE NIFTY 50 Constituent
ISIN INE397D01024
Industry Telecommunications
Founded 7 July 1995; 27 years ago[1]
Founder Sunil Mittal
Headquarters Nelson Mandela Road, New Delhi, India[1]
Area served Worldwide
Key people • Sunil Mittal (Chairman)
• Gopal Vittal (MD & CEO)
Revenue ₹140,081.40 crore (US$18 billion) (2023)[2]
Operating income ₹17,230.50 crore (US$2.2 billion) (2023)[2]
Net income ₹8,345.90 crore (US$1.0 billion) (2023)[2]
Total assets ₹446,633.20 crore (US$56 billion) (2023)[2]
Total equity ₹77,562.90 crore (US$9.7 billion) (2023)[2]
Owners • Bharti Telecom (38.54%)
• Singtel (10.51%)
• Bharti Global (5.96%)
• Free float (45%)[3]
Members 491.26 million[4]
(March-2022)
Number of employees 48,600 (2022)[4]
Website airtel.com
2.1 ABOUT

Bharti Airtel Limited is Indian multinational telecommunications services company, founded by

Sunil Bharti Mittal in the year 1995. Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global
telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa.
Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service
providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company’s product offerings include 2G,
3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed home broadband,
DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers.

Airtel had also rolled out its VoLTE technology across all Indian telecom circles, It is the 2™
largest mobile network operator in India and the 2" largest mobile network operator in the world
with over 457.96 million (45.79 crore) subscribers and 355 million subscribers in India. Bharti
Airtel services under the Airtel brand and is governed by Sunil Bharti Mittal.

Airtel's equipment is provided and maintained by Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Networks
whereas IT support is provided by Amdocs. The transmission towers are maintained by
subsidiaries and joint venture companies of Bharti including Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers in
India. Airtel is the first Indian telecom service provider to achieve Cisco Gold Certification. It
also acts as a carrier for national and international long distance communication services. The
company has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, with a connection to Singapore. The
company also provides land-line telephone services and broadband Internet access (DSL) in over
96 cities in India. The company is structured into different strategic business units - Mobile,
Digital Tv, Telemedia, Enterprise. Bharti Airtel offers GSM mobile services in all the 22 telecom
circles of India. Digital TV business provides DTH Tv services in India. The Enterprise
business gives end to end telecom solution to corporate customer and national and international
long distance services to Telco's. Airtel is listed in Bombay Stock exchange Limited (BSE) and
National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE),
2.2 INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE OF AIRTEL:

Airtel is the one of the largest mobile operators in the world in terms of subscriber base and has a
commercial presence in |8 countries and the Channel Islands.

In The Indian Subcontinent: Airtel India In India. as Airtel Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, as Robi in
Bangladesh.

Airtel Africa, which operates in 15 African countries: Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
2.3 CORPORATE STRUCTURE OF AIRTEL:

Bharti Airtel Ltd. introduced a new corporate structure in 2021, to focus on four businesses -
Digital, India, international and infrastructure businesses distinctly.
• Airtel Lid. will hold all of its telecom businesses (mobile, broadband, and enterprise), Airtel
Payments Bank will remain as a separate entity under the parent.
• ® Bharti Telemedia Ltd., the 100% arm operating DTH services, will sit alongside Airtel Ltd.
for now but will eventually merge with it.
• ® All of the company's infrastructure businesses (Nxtra and Indus Towers) and iternational
businesses will continue to remain in separate entities as they are currently.

This will now house all of the digital assets spanning Wynk Music, Airtel X stream, Airtel
Thanks, Airtel Ads, Airtel 1Q, Airtel Secure, Airtel Cloud and all future digital products and
services. It will ultimately help the telecom operator to save money on licensing and spectrum
usage charges.
2.4 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS & SERVICES BY AIRTEL

Airtel India is the second largest provider of mobile telephony after Jio and second largest
provider of fixed telephony in India, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription
television services. Airtel provides 2G, 4G LTE, 4G+ mobile services, DTH, fixed line
broadband and voice services depending upon the country of operation.

Mobile Services

In India, the company’s product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G VoLTE, wireless services, ete.
It is the second largest mobile network operator in India and the second largest mobile network
operator in the world. Airtel operates in all telecom circles of India. Airtel operates in all telecom
circles of India.

3G

Airtel launched 3G services in January 2011. By mid July 2011, Airtel 3G services was available
in over 200 cities through its network and in 500 cities through intra- circle roaming
arrangements with other operators, Airtel had about 5.4 million 3G customers of which 4 million
are 3G data customers as of September 2012. Airtel has 3G license in all 23 circles.

In an event in 2019, Airtel confirmed that it will shut down their 3G network all over India and
re-farm the spectrum towards 4G by the year 2020. Then onwards Airtel is providing only 2G
and 4G connectivity in the country,

4G

Airtel launched 4G services on mobile from February 2014, becoming the first company in India
to offer 4G services. The first city to get the service was Bangalore. Airtel had 95,173,000 4G
subscribers as of June 2019. As of June 2019, Airtel provides 4G coverage in all India in 22
circles. Airtel extended its 4G network to 15 km off India's coastline, following a request by the
Indian Navy.

5G

In January 2020, Bharti Airtel became the country's first telco to successfully demonstrate &
orchestrate LIVE 5G service over a commercial network in Hyderabad city. Airtel 5G is capable
of delivering 10x speeds, 10x latency and 100x concurrency when compared to existing
technologies.

In Feb 2021 - Announced partnership with Qualcomm to develop Open-RAN based 5G network.

Strong Network Coverage

Enjoy complete clarity when calling with Airtel’s world-class technology and unbeatable
network coverage that spans over 22 circles across the country,

Voice Mail

When your handset is switched off, or you're too busy to answer the phone, Airtel Voicemail will
answer your calls and record a message. The best part is that there's no extra monthly cost for
setting up Voicemail - you just pay for the phone call when you use the service.

SMS (Short Messaging Service)

Send messages quickly and easily using text, if it's too noisy to talk or you don't have much time.
It's the way to share those interesting one-liners, important reminders and rib-tickling jokes, with
anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world.
Airtel WiFi Zone

Airtel has launched a FREE WiFi services in India by the name Airtel WiFi Zone through which
users can enjoy Free Wi-Fi at 500+ locations across Airports, Colleges, Hospitals, Corporate
parks, Retail shops and many more locations. All plans will be on secure wireless broadband
internet with unlimited usage and will be session or time based. Users can use the service by
finding a hotspot, selecting airtel WiFi Zone', then login to start browsing. Airtel intends to
partner with establishments to set up hotspots which will be termed WiFi Hangout for an
establishment owner and WiFi Partner for the cafe and restaurant owners.

Airtel Money

Airtel has started a new mCommerce platform called Airtel Money in collaboration with Infosys
and Smart Trust (now Giesecke & Devrient). The platform was launched on 5 April 2012, at
Infosys" headquarters in Bangalore. Using Airtel Money, users can transfer money, pay bills and
perform other financial transactions directly on the mobile phone.

Network Experience Centre

Airtel has a Network Experience Centre (NEC) which observes end to end customer experience,
in near real time, along with the standard network elements on Airtel’s operations. The NEC is
located in Manesar, Haryana and went live on 31 October 2012. It is the first such facility in
India and will be able to monitor Airtel's network performance across mobile, fixed line,
broadband, DTH, M-Commerce, enterprise services, International Cable Systems and internet
peering points from a single location. It will monitor all Airtel and partner NOCs. In case of an
emergency, the NEC will enable the operator to prioritize actions to restore normalcy and reduce
resolution time.
Airtel Postpaid

Airtel welcomes you to a vibrant world of unlimited opportunities. More exciting, innovative yet
simple new ways to communicate, just when you want to, not just through words but ideas,
emotions and feelings. To give you the unlimited freedom to reach out to your special people in
your special way,

Easy Payment Options. Anytime Anywhere

You can choose from a host of convenient payment options only with Airtel. Walk into any Airtel
relationship centre and make your payments by cash or credit card. Drop a cheque at any of the
drop boxes for making payments or simply log on to My Airtel section and pay instantly through
your debit/credit card, netbanking,

Widest Roaming - National and International

Airtel's roaming service allows you to stay connected and use your mobile phone to make or
receive calls from almost anywhere in India and also over 160 countries, abroad.

Airtel Payments Bank

Airtel Payments Bank is an Indian payments bank, launched in January 2017 with an aim to
make Payments cashless and seamless. The company is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel. On 11 April
2016, it became the first company to receive the payments bank license from the Reserve Bank
of India. Airtel Payments Bank is a 80:20 partnership between Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra
Bank.

It offers services like Bill Payments, UPI Payments, Bank Transfers etc. As of January 2021,
Airtel Payments Bank have over 30 Million Customers.
Digital TV Services (DTH)

Airtel DTH offer both standard and high definition (HD) digital TV services with 3D capabilities
and Dolby surround sound. It currently offers a total of 635 channels including 80 HD channels,
international channels and many interactive services like support for Google Assistant and Play
Store Apps.

Airtel Broadband (Fiber)

Airtel launched its Fiber services in October 2016. This service was later renamed as

Xstream Fibre.

Airtel Xstream Fiber offers you with Fiber optic internet connection transforming your daily
broadband connection experience with high-speed internet. Airtel allows you to enjoy the fastest
broadband connection with the speed of up to 1 Gbps, in over 100 cities in the country.

This FTTH (Fiber to home) technology provides you with fully-dedicated Fiber optic cable
different internet packages, which connect up to 10 devices via a professional Wi-Fi router
modem. These internet packages offer faster HD video streaming, heavy file downloads, and
uploads,

Airtel 1Q
Airtel 1Q is a cloud communication suite that allows enterprises to deepen engagement with
customers through timely and secure communication. It helps in unifying communication across
various business practices - marketing, sales, customer service and operations.

Cloud Computing and 10T

In April 2021, Airtel launches ‘Airtel loT" a 5G Ready Platform for the World of Connected
Things. Airtel IoT is built to massively simplify the digital transformation journeys of
enterprises. Airtel IoT is an end-to-end platform with the capability to connect and manage
billions of devices and applications in a highly secure and seamless fashion.

Firstly, it offers you a wide range of connectivity technologies to connect your loT devices.
Secondly, it provides you the capability to seamlessly manage these devices through a user-
friendly connectivity management portal- Airtel loT Hub.
 CHAPTER III:
Conceptual Framework
Telecommunication is the transmission of messages over significant distances for the purpose of
communication. In the modern age of electricity, telecommunications has involved the use of
electric means such as the telegraph and telephone, microwave communications and fiber optics.
Telecommunication services have been recognized world-over as an important tool for socio-
economic development of a nation. It is one of the prime support services needed for rapid
growth and modernization of various sectors of the economy.

The telecommunication industry is vast and offers a wide range of career opportunities on both
the hardware and software fronts. These prospects include functional jobs in mobile telephony
internet protocol media systems, wireless communications, GSM, GPRS and CDMA technology,
VoIP, data networks and optical networks amongst others.

Indian telecommunication sector has undergone a major process of transformation through

significant policy reforms. Driven by various policy initiatives, the Indian telecommunication
sector witnessed a complete transformation in the last decade. It has achieved a phenomenal
growth during the last few years and is poised to take a big leap in the future also.

Telecommunications in India

India's telecommunication network is the second largest in the world by number of telephone
users (both fixed and mobile phone) with 1179.49 million subscribers as on 31 February 2021. It
has one of the lowest call tariffs in the world enabled by Some mega telecom operators and
hyper-competition among them. India has the world's second-largest Internet user-base with
747.41 million broadband internet subscribers in the country. Today it is the fastest growing
market in the world with 8.35 million monthly additions.

Major sectors of the Indian telecommunication industry are telephone, internet and television
broadcast industry in the country. Telephone density in the country which is in an ongoing
process of transforming into next generation network. The access network, which connects the
subscriber to the core, is highly diversified with different copper-pair, optic-fibre and wireless
technologies, DTH, a relatively new broadcasting technology has attained significant popularity
in the Television segment. The introduction of private FM has given a fillip to the radio
broadcasting in India.

Telecommunication in India has greatly been supported by the INSAT system of the country, one
of the largest domestic satellite systems in the world. India possesses a diversified
communications system, which links all parts of the country by telephone, Internet, radio,
television and satellite.

Indian telecom industry underwent a high pace of market liberalisation and growth since the
1990s and now has become the world's most competitive and one of the fastest growing telecom
markets. Telecommunication has supported the socioeconomic development of India and has
played a significant role to narrow down the rural-urban digital divide to some extent. It also has
helped to increase the transparency of governance with the introduction of e-governance in India.
The government has pragmatically used modern telecommunication facilities to deliver mass
awareness programmes for the rural folk of India.

According to London-based telecom trade body GSMA, the telecom sector accounted for 6.5%
of India's GDP in 2015, or about 29 lakh crore (US$130 billion), and supported direct
employment for 2.2 million people in the country. As per GSMA, India is on its way to becoming
the second-largest smartphone market globally by 2025 with around | billion installed devices
and is expected to have 920 million unique mobile subscribers by 2025 which will include 88
million 5G connections. The liberal and reformist policies of the Government of India have been
instrumental along with strong consumer demand in the rapid growth in the Indian telecom
sector.
The Government has enabled easy market access to telecom equipment and a fair and proactive
regulatory framework, that has ensured availability of telecom services to consumer at
affordable prices. The country is divided into multiple zones, called circles (roughly along state
boundaries). At present, there are 22 such Telecom Circles in India. Private-sector and two state-
run businesses dominate the telephony segment, Most companies were formed by a recent
revolution and restructuring launched within a decade, directed by Ministry of Communications
and IT, Department of Telecommunications and Minister of Finance. The industry has witnessed
exponential growth over the last few years primarily driven by affordable tariffs, wider
availability, roll-out of Mobile Number Portability (MNP), expanding 3G and 4G coverage,
evolving consumption patterns of subscribers and a conducive regulatory environment.

The deregulation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms have made the sector one of the
fastest growing and the top five employment opportunity generator in the country. Foreign Direct
Investment policy which increased the foreign ownership cap from 49% to 100%. Telecom
tower in India is set to boom as its tenancy ration will increase exponentially due to the
expansion of 3G and 4G and the onset of 5G technologies, 5G is set to be a game changer for
the telecom industry and is expected to yield enormous economic opportunities over the next
three to five years. India has the potential to unlock $48.69bn through the deployment of SG
over the next four years.

MAJOR CHANGES IN INDIAN TELECOM MARKET

Post starting of the commercial operation of Reliance Jio in September 2016, the telecom market

saw a huge change in terms of falling tariff rates and reduction of data charges, which changed
the economics for some of the telecom players. This resulted in exit of many smaller players
from the market.
Players like Videocon and Systema sold their spectrum under spectrum trading agreements to
Airtel and RCOM respectively in 2016.
In February 2017, Telenor India announced that Bharti Airtel will take over all its business and
assets in India and deal will be completed in 12 months timeframe.
In May 2018. Department of Telecom approved the merger of Telenor India with Bharti Airtel
paving the way for final commercial closing of the merger between the two companies. Telenor
India has been acquired by Airtel almost without any cost.

In October 2017, Bharti Airtel announced that it would acquire the consumer mobile businesses
of Tata Teleservices Lid in a debt-free cash-free deal. Reliance Communications had to shut
down its 2G and 3G services including all voice services and only offer 4G data services from 29
December 2017, as a result of debt and a failed merger with Aircel.
In February 2019, the company filed for bankruptcy as it was unable to sell assets to repay its
debt, It has an estimated debt of ¥ 57,383 crore against assets worth 218,000 crore, After
bankruptcy of Rcom, Aircel also shut down its operations in many unprofitable circles including,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh from
January 2018.

Aircel filed for bankruptcy in the National Companies Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai due to
huge competition and high levels of debt. Vodafone and Idea Cellular completed their merger on
31 August 2018, and the merged entity is renamed to Vi. The merger created the largest telecom
company in India by subscribers and by revenue, and the second largest mobile network in terms
of number of subscribers in the world. Under the terms of the deal, the Vodafone Group holds a
45.1% stake in the combined entity, the Aditya Birla Group holds 26% and the remaining shares
will be held by the public.

However, Vi lost a significant number of gross and active subscribers in the month of August
2020 after the merger. On 24 October 2019, the Government of India has announced revival
package for BSNL and MTNL which includes monetising assets, raising funds, TD-LTE
spectrum, voluntary retirement scheme for employees. Apart from package, the Ministry of
Communications has decided to merge MTNL with BSNL. After this, MTNL became a
subsidiary of BSNL. With all this consolidation, the Indian mobile market has turned into a four-
player market, with Jio as the number-one player, with a market share of 35%, Airtel India in
second position, with market share of 29.8% and Vi, with revenue market share of 24%. The
government operator BSNL (incl. MTNL) is in the distant 4th position, with an approximate
market share of 10.4%.

CURRENT MARKET SITUATION

The Indian mobile market has turned into a four-player market, with Jio as the number-one
player, with revenue market share of 34.9%, Airtel India in second position, with revenue market
share of 28% and Vi, with revenue market share of 27%. The government operator BSNI/MTNL
& in the distant 4th position, with an approximate market share of 11%. So, The dominant
players are Vi, Airtel. Jio, and BSNL.

The increase in Reliance Jio's subscriber base is largely at the cost of Vodafone Idea Ltd. whose
subscriber market share has declined consistently in last two years while Airtel has been able to
hold its market share, Airtel is India’s Largest Mobile Telecom Operator in terms of Active
Users.

According to Visitor Location Register (VLR), a key metric reflecting the number of active
subscribers on a mobile network, showed that 97.47% of the users were active for Bharti Airtel,
90.61% for Vi and 78.16% for Jio.
 MARKETING STRATEGY ADOPTED BY AIRTEL

Airtel follows a set of pre-defined values what they call as their *Air Culture’. Here ‘Air’ stands
for— Alive, Inclusive and Respectful respectively.

Segmentation: Airtel has always believed in being customer centric. They have geographically
segmented the market in East, West, North, South & central. They have also gone a step ahead
and segmented the market in each region on the basis of demographic variables like age, Income,
Social groups, etc. From the demographic data collected they run different campaigns as per the
preferences of people in each region, Thus trying to increase their base volume.

Competitive advantage: Airtel has tried maintaining its cost leadership by reducing the
operational costs and with the help of its unique business model — where their daily operations
are outsourced and core functions like finance, sales, marketing, and management are retained.

First-mover advantage: Bharti Airtel has been aggressively competing with Jio, the telecom
arm of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). But Airtel did get the first-mover advantage as it was
Airtel who was the first telecom player to have launched 4G services to the Indian crowd, and
now even in 5G.
DIFFERENT STRATEGIES
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN MARKETING OF AIRTEL

With the formation of Bharti Infratel for Indian Operations, Airtel has extended its infrastructure
in the extreme parts of the country for nationwide penetration, creating competitive edge over
other players in terms of low operational cost, better network connectivity, coverage, low call
drops & better customer service.

Airtel developed a sustainable advantage through its excellent network of telecom towers. In
many locations, newer entrants found it cheaper to rent Airtel's existing infrastructure rather than
setup new towers. Also spending extensively on advertising & promotions helped it sustain in
this highly competitive Industry and emerge as a Market leader in terms of “Active Users™

Word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of promotions & Airtel has completely leveraged
that. Airtel is always known for its innovation and value for money for users.

It is to be noted that Airtel is facing Huge Competition from Jio which has formed a digital
ecosystem through its huge number of Apps and value added Services. Still, Airtel has
successfully managed to attain the Top Position in terms of Highest Average Revenue Per User
(ARPU) all because of the_Focus of the Company on Quality instead of Quantity.

AIRTEL'S MARKETING ORIENTATION.

Since this is a high-involvement expensive product, the service provider has to fully take care of
the customers.
A. They take personal responsibility to "get" the answer for any problem faced by the customer.
B. They anticipate customers’ problems and take pro-active steps to prevent them.
C. They give answers to the questions & requests, quickly & efficiently.
D. They have a positive tone & manner while interacting with customers.
E. They end the interaction on a positive or a humorous note-making the last 30 seconds count,
Airtel realizes that “Attracting people is easy but converting them into loyal customers is hard”
hence the company’s emphasis is on maintaining a 'Smiling and a Friendly Atmosphere’ to please
and retain the customer.
PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

The promotional and advertising strategy in the Airtel marketing strategy is asfollows:

Airtel is an established and well-known brand in telecom sector. Airtel organizes strong
promotional campaigns for its services utilizing all media channels from TV, print, events, social
media etc. Hence the promotion strategy in the marketing mix of Airtel is extremely
comprehensive ie. they do a 360 branding. Airtel has used all the big celebrities to endorse their
services like Shahrukh Khan, AR Rehman, Sachin Tendulkar, Vidya Balan etc. Airtel also
sponsors various events like Cricket matches, Grand Prix etc under their community
development program me and brand promotion. Airtel has also got a good presence on social
media like Facebook, Twitter etc. Which it uses for its service promotion and solve queries of
customers. Airtel also engages in public relations like Education campaigns, girls child
awareness campaigns etc.

AD CAMPAIGNS BY BHARTI AIRTEL

Airtel’s Advertising campaigns have always been very creative & innovative. They have done
wonders for Airtel.

In 2002 music composer AR Rahman composed the Signature tune for Airtel. It was one of the
best pieces of work done on Airtel. The tagline for the ad being “Live Every Moment”.

In 2003 Airtel came out with a campaign tagged “Express yourself”. It was named the ‘World's
Best Communications Brand of the year 2004” at the World Communication Awards 2004 in
London.

In 2010 came “Endless Goodbye” which was also nominated as the best ad in Cannes Festival.
In 2012 came its Game changer campaign “Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai". This campaign
bought Airtel back to the limelight,

In 2015 we were introduced to the 4G Airtel Girl. This campaign was to announce the launch of
its 4G network and how they challenged it to be the fastest as compared to other network
providers. Their Tagline — “India’s First4G Network™.

In 2016 they showed how Airtel 4G is not only the Fastest 4G Network in India but available in
more parts of the country than one would think.

2018 — Airtel takes a fresh approach with a bold and direct theme — “Sab Kuch Try Karo, Fir
Sahi Chuno™ In this they are communicating with the audience and asking them to decide
which network is the best by trying all options themselves and not merely on the basis of
hearsay.
 CHAPTER IV:
Analysis & Interpretation of
Data
Q- What is your Age?

Figure No- 4.1 Age Demographic

INTERPRETATION
The above chart in figure 4.1 shows the age demographic of the respondents.Out of 22
respondents 50% are in the age group 18-24 and 31.8% of the users are in the age group 31.8%.
This shows that the average target audience of Airtel lies between the age group of 18-24.
Q- Are you employed?

Figure No- 4.2 Employment Status

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.2 shows the employment status of the respondents. Out of 22
respondents 59.1% are students and 27.3% are employed. This shows the average occupational
status of Airtel’s users but the data might be affected due to the sampling frame.
Q- Do you use Airtel?

Figure No- 4.3 Respondent’s preference

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.3 shows the respondent’s preference. Out of 22 respondents 59.1%.
This is a staggering number which speaks for itself and shows the market share of Airtel in
India’s highly competitive market.
Q- If No, then which of these mobile service providers do you use actively?

Figure No- 4.4 Frequency of Use

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.4 shows the preference of customers. Out of 12 respondents 50% use
Jio and 25% use Vodafone Idea.
Q- If Yes , then on a scale of 1 to 5 how satisfied are you with Airtel services in terms of
network coverage?

Figure No- 4.5 Network Coverage

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.5 shows the satisfaction in terms of network coverage. Out of 14
respondents 50% of respondents find it highly satisfactory and 21.4% respondents find it
moderately satisfactory. This shows Airtel’s great network coverage.
Q- If Yes , then on a scale of 1 to 5 how satisfied are you with Airtel services in terms of
Internet Speed?

Figure No- 4.6 Internet Speed

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.6 shows the satisfaction in terms of Internet Speed. Out of 14
respondents 35.7% of respondents find it highly satisfactory and 28.6% respondents find it
neutral. This shows Airtel’s great Internet Speed.
Q- Which Social Media campaign run by Airtel have you seen or heard about?

Figure No- 4.7 Social Media Campaign

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.7 shows the awareness of Airtel’s campaign by the respondents. Out
of 22 respondents 59.1% recognize ‘Har Ek Friend Zaruri Hota Hai’ as the most prominent ad
campaign and ‘Sab Kuch Try Karo, Fir Sahi Chuno’ is the second most famous ad campaign.
This shows that the ad campaign ‘Endless Goodbye’ did not perform well in terms of awareness
in the market.
Q- Do you follow Airtel on any of their social media platform?

Figure No- 4.8 Social Media Awareness

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.8 shows the social media awareness of Airtel by respondents. Out of
22 respondents 81.8% respondents follow Airtel. This shows that Airtel has a good following on
social media but it can be further improved on further study.
Q- If yes, Then which one?

Figure No- 4.9 Social Media Awareness Breakdown

INTERPRETATION

The above chart in figure 4.9 shows the employment status of the respondents. Out of 6
respondents 50% follow Airtel on Instagram and 16.7% follow Airtel on Facebook.
 CONCLUSION

Airtel is a telecom service providing company where customer satisfaction is together goal and
marketing tool. Today's customers in the telecom industry, where lots of offers are available, are
harder to satisfy. They remain smoother, more challenging, more price conscious, less forgiving
and they are innovative by many more companies with equivalent or better offers. The
experiment is not only to produce satisfied customers also to produce loyal and delighted
customer.

From this research, It can be concluded that more than 70% of the Users who are currently using
Airtel were satisfied with the services of Airtel. Also, a Good no. of users who were willing to
switch from their respective subscribers showed interest in Airtel. Hence, these statistics imply a
bright future for the company. Airtel has done a good job by improving its core competencies.

Airtel is working hard on its Research and development. This is one of the main reasons why it is
still on the top position in terms of the Number of Active Users and Average Revenue Per User.
 RECOMMENDATIONS

Airtel was the first Player to enter into 4G market, so Airtel has to take advantage. Airtel has to
Focus on the rural areas and expand the business in rural areas.

Any business should have a vision, mission, objective and organizational structure to succeed.
For covering all these Criteria, Company needs to build up a strategic plan through which it can
reach its main goal point. The company should maintain all major process also others factors.

There are several competitors in the market which are already working rigorously with the
similar Game Plan but whichever company properly implements the plans, will be able to
succeed in the long run.

This is a competitive and customer driven market. It is high time for Airtel to satisfy and retain
its existing customers. With the changing technological, economic and political scenario, the
telecom sector will face many ups and downs. To attain the Top position in the Market, Bharti
Airtel needs to build an Aggressive strategy to be able to counter its Biggest Competitors Jio &
Vi.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

4 Neeti Gupta, C N Sontakki, Marketing Management, Kalyani Publishers

@ Shashi K Gupta, Prancet Rangi, Research Methodology, Kalyani Publishers

@ Telcom Regulitory Authority of India (TRAI) Official Data

https Awww. trai gov. in/

€ TRAI Telecom Subscriptions Reports

JAwww. trai gov. in'release-pub lication/reports/telecom-subscriptions-

# Airtel India Official Site Information https:/www.airtel. in/

@ Jio Official Website https://www.jio.com/
€ Vi India Offical Website https//www.myviin/